Onion Rolls

• When I visited one of my aunties in Białystok we often talked about cooking and recipes.
• She mentioned making making bread rolls with onions on top.
• I did not get an actual recipe and looked some up instead.
• You can call these cebulaki – (cebula = onion in Polish).
• However I did find that they are often called  biały as they are a traditional recipe from Białystok.
• I discovered you will find these for sale in New York as they were brought there by Polish and Jewish émigrés from Białystok around 1920.
• The traditional topping is fried onion and poppy seeds.

Ingredients – Rolls

• 200g & 50g plain flour
• 150 ml warm milk
• 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
• ½ tablespoon of dried yeast
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 egg white – for brushing

Ingredients – Topping

• 1 onion
• 1 tablespoons of butter
• Large pinch of salt
• Ground pepper
• ½ tablespoon of poppy seeds

Method – Rolls

• Mix the milk, yeast, sugar and 50g of plain flour.
• Leave for 20 minutes
• Put the 200g  of plain flour, salt, yolks and yeast mixture in a bowl
• Mix together to form a soft dough.
• Add a little extra milk if this is too dry.
• Knead for 10 minutes – set a timer – till you get a smooth ball.
• Cover and leave for 1½ – 2 hours.
• Line the baking tray with baking paper.
• *
• Make the onion topping.
• *
• Lightly knead the dough for a few minutes.
• Divide the dough into 6.
• Roll each one to make a ball.
• Place the balls on the baking tray and flatten each one.
• Cover and leave for 30 minutes.
• Pre-heat the oven  to GM6 – 200°C.
• Using finger tips or the base of a tumbler flatten the centre of each roll.
• Brush with beaten egg white.
• Put  the onion and poppy seed mixture into the centre of each roll. 
• Bake for 20 minutes.
• Leave to cool on a wire rack.
• *
• Serve warm or cold.

Method – Onion Topping

• Thinly slice the onion and cut the slices into quarters.
• Fry the onion in butter till golden brown.
• Add salt and pepper.
• Leave to cool completely.
• Mix in the poppy seeds.